Priceless
by Naty17
Summary: -My *totally late* attempt at a Christmas fic- because I forgot to last year.- There were two reasons, and two reasons only as to why Kasey was visiting his sister; 1) To hide from whoever came to pick up his rent money, and 2) to try and snag some money to actually PAY for his rent. Molly's a little less than happy to have him, but could he possibly change his ways...?


**Priceless**

_I completely forgot about Christmas. =.="_

_It's currently Dec. 26th, 2012. The day AFTER Christmas. And I'm starting this NOW. I'm such a fail... XD_

_Anyway, uh... I had a Harvest Moon Christmas from LAST YEAR that I was going to just finish for this year, but... I then realized it's not on my USB drive. Therefore, because I am currently in a car, on my way to Quebec, I'll have no access to that file whatsoever until January._

_And so, I am starting from scratch. It wasn't a very good story, anyway... Hopefully, this time, it'll be better._

_So this is my Christmas present to all my old fans from the Harvest Moon fandom, as well as any person who feels like reading this. Merry Christmas!_

* * *

"Welcome to Castanet!"

"Yes, welcome!"

Kasey waved them off with a smirk. "Relax, I'm only going to be here for a week... No need to go all 'friendly hosts' on me."

Mayor Hamilton blinked. "U-Um... Ah... Alright then! You must be Kasey, yes?"

"What, are you expecting someone else?" Kasey asked sarcastically.

Chase raised a brow at him from where he was standing. This guy's attitude rivaled even his own...!

"W-Well, no, that's why I assumed..." Hamilton stumbled over his own words. "So you _aren't _Kasey Danvers?"

"No." Kasey smiled at him, pulling his suitcase closer. "I am."

Kasey glanced over at the small crowd of people. There were a few girls there... which was good for him. Molly _had_ said there were a lot of people their age on the island. It would seem she was right.

A rounded girl bounced on her heels impatiently. She had bright blue eyes that glanced around excitedly, and her dirty-blond braids whipped around wildly as she moved her head. She wore a puffy maid-like pink dress and an apron, suggesting she worked at a hotel, or maybe a restaurant. That, along with her natural bounciness, and the pink bows in her shoulder-length hair suggested she was a childish girl.

Another girl stood over on the right side. Long pink-colored curls were pulled into two drill-like pigtails on the side of her head, and her icy blue eyes were cool and strict. She was short, though and cute-looking, but she looked like she had a bratty side too, if the looks she was giving him were enough to judge by.

Another girl stood nervously beside her. She was about half a head taller than the pinkette, and had beautiful long blue hair, tied into two thick braids. She ducked her head, so Kasey could barely see her sapphire orbs under her straight bangs. Her dress had a plaid pattern, and she wore brown Mary-Janes. Cute.

Closer to the first girl was a tall blonde. Her hair was pulled into a wavy ponytail, and her green eyes glowed with amusement. She wore a blue button down shirt, but instead of actually buttoning it, had it tied together under her (very nicely-sized) breasts. Jean daisy-duke shorts and cowboy boots completed her look.

Not a bad selection at all for such a small island. In fact, he was more than satisfied; this was better than he'd expected. (Although he hadn't expected very much.)

The first childish girl, he wasn't sure was single or taken. She kept on clinging on to a pretty-boy beside her, with peach-colored curls, purple hairclips, and lavender eyes, though he didn't seem to appreciate her very much. Perhaps it was just a simple crush.

The blond girl was talking to a bulk boy Kasey's age, but they didn't seem to be flirting, and he wasn't touching her at all. Just friends.

As for the other two girls, they stood close to each other, and no other boy was around them. The blue-haired girl seemed to almost be hiding behind the other, as the pink one stood protectively in front.

Funny.

He wasn't sure which he preferred... maybe the blonde. She seemed friendly enough. She looked easy, too.

Not the childish one, though. She was too naive-looking, and a little chubbier than the rest. Besides, Kasey didn't need the pretty-boy to come after him in jealousy.

The pink girl looked like she'd be fun, too. She was probably a tsundere. Innocent, but not naive. He could change that.

But there was also that blue girl to consider... Shy and quiet, she probably didn't have very much experience with boys. Those kinds of girls were always a lot of fun to play with, too.

Hmm... decisions, decisions... Or, then again, he could also just take all of them if he wanted to. He had a week... that would be enough time, yes?

"D-Do you need help getting anywhere?" The chubby mayor asked.

"Hm?" Kasey snapped back to attention. "Oh, no, I'm good. She's probably just late, that's all."

"Ah, damn!" They all turned in the direction of the voice, and found a girl in her early twenties running towards them. "Crap...!"

"Moo-moo!" Kasey waved cheerfully.

"Don't call me that." Molly muttered, brushing herself off as she walked closer. "Or you can get right back on that boat and go back to where you came from."

Gill leaned in closer to Luna. "Someone's having a bad day..."

Luna shrugged. "It's Winter. Money's not so good for her this season."

"Ah." Gill nodded. "No crops this season. That makes sense, but she still has animals, doesn't she?"

"Well then, she must really hate her brother."

Gill smiled. "It's at times like this that I'm glad to be an only child."

"Geez, you're a grumpy puss." Kasey remarked, raising his brow at her. "Love life not going well?"

"Shut up and follow me, Kasey." Molly snapped, and began stomping off in the other direction.

Kasey waved back at everyone as he trailed behind her. "Nice meeting you all~!"

Molly lived on the island as a farmer. Before that, she'd been living with Kasey in the city. They'd been fine together at first, but she started to grow annoyed of him, for some reason. Kasey suspected she wasn't pleased with what he did as a living. Or perhaps she was simply angry about often being forced to sleep on the couch. Either one was probable.

It wasn't Kasey's fault though- no, of course it wouldn't be. Women flocked to him naturally; it was their fault for spreading their legs. But if he could help it, he wouldn't come free of charge. But why would that anger Molly? It made money, after all.

One day, he simply woke up, shooed the girl out of the apartment (without her wallet), and noticed the couch bare.

_'Kasey,  
__I can't take it anymore. I'm leaving.  
__I'll be fine; I'm moving to an island called Castanet to become a farmer. Sure, it's not college, but college isn't worth staying with you.  
__I really hope you fix your life up, 'cause Goddess knows it's a mess._

_Molly'_

'... Huh...' He remembered thinking, before checking her bedroom drawers, and finding them empty. 'I wonder, did she come in while we were sleeping, or during the day...? Hm.' He simply shrugged it off, not caring all too much.

But without Molly working her part time jobs, it became harder to pay the rent. People simply didn't keep enough change in their wallets...

So he'd come here to spend Christmas mainly for 2 reasons: 1) To hide from the property owner. 2) To try and snag some extra money.

Molly hadn't been too happy when he'd called her that morning. After all, it _was_ short notice... he'd called her from the boat dock, right before boarding time.

"You really haven't changed a bit..." she'd told him. Somehow, she made it sound like a bad thing.

So here he was.

"... Wow. That's a really shitty farm."

Molly glared at him.

The small wooden house couldn't have had more than two rooms, and looked about to fall apart. The barn was just as disheveled; only the bird coop looked like it could survive a storm.

There were two empty fields of dirt, and the patches of grass peeking through the snow were a sickly yellow color.

"You know what? Maybe it _would_ be best if you just stayed at the inn." Molly said.

"No, no!" Kasey protested grandly. "I came here to spend Christmas with my beloved sister! I won't be staying at an inn!" After all, she probably kept her money in her house, right?

Molly sighed. "... Fine. You get the couch, though."

Kasey laughed. "Revenge for old times?"

To his surprise, Molly smiled slightly. "Maybe, maybe... I'm not letting you kick me out of my bed any more."

They entered the small house. Kasey had to duck slightly to get through the doorway, and was surprised the building didn't fall apart when he slammed the door shut.

"Here." Molly pointed at a red wooden chest. "This is my tool box, but I emptied it for you. You can put your stuff in here."

"Cool, thanks." Kasey lifted his suitcase, and dropped it in the chest. The lid didn't close completely over it, but it was fine as it was. Or wasn't it?

Molly pursed her lips. "... Aren't you going to unpack?"

Kasey stared at the chest. "Isn't that what I just did?"

Molly sighed. "Whatever." She gestured at the lime green couch behind them. "That's yours to sleep on." She then gestured at a door on the left wall. "That's my room. If you go in, I'll kill you."

Kasey scoffed. "You and what army?"

His sister smirked. "Let me remind you that, as a farmer, I work a lot with hammers and axes... Oh, and Chase also got me some super sharp kitchen knives for my birthday." She glanced over at the kitchen counter and smiled. "I suggest you listen to the rules here."

Kasey laughed. "Nice to see you've gotten yourself a sense of humor, sis."

Molly paused at the door and smiled back at him. "Oh, trust me, Kasey; I still don't have a sense of humor."

She shut the door behind her, leaving Kasey wondering how sharp those knives really were.

"..." Well, he was alone now. Alone in her house. Alone in the place her money was stored. Unless there was a bank on this island... now **that** would make things a lot more difficult.

Too bad he hadn't thought of asking her how long she'd be. He _really _didn't want to test how serious she was about those knives...

Casually, he walked over to her door and tested the knob. Unlocked. Too damn easy.

Her room had blue walls, and wooden floors. A bed dressed in white lay against the back wall, and a small night table stood beside it. There was a dresser on the right side, and a gold chest beside it. A trash can was beside her night table, and shelves decorated the left wall.

Luckily for Kasey, there weren't very many hiding spots. Unfortunately for Kasey...

"A safe?! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

It was in the chest; a small iron safe with a number combination lock.

Kasey swore to himself repeatedly, getting quite creative with his curses.

"Damn it...! ... When's her birthday again...?" He remembered it was in the Summer... Summer 21st? 22nd? Or maybe 19th...

He tried 221. Still locked.

222. Nothing.

219. It still wouldn't open.

'Maybe her age...?'

020. 021. 022. Nothing.

In his frustration, he bashed his head against the wall a few times. "Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" Now what was he going to do?

Quickly, he stashed the safe back in the chest, and shut it close.

If he couldn't get money from his sister, then maybe he could get it from other, less paranoid villagers. Yes... that would work.

He'd use the same method as always.

Or maybe he could casually ask Molly for 5G, and watch over her shoulder as she put in the combination...? No, she probably wouldn't give it to him anyway. And besides, it would get her suspicious.

No, he'd go out today and explore the island, looking for some magical pot of gold. If only he could be so lucky...

* * *

"Gee... You really know how to please a woman."

Kasey smirked back at her. "It's a natural talent."

"Bullshit. I'm not that stupid." She sat up, brushing her dark red hair out of her face. "I'll bet you my life Molly didn't inherit that 'natural talent' either."

"Only the special ones can inherit talents so precious." Kasey said with a smile.

"Oh, you're special alright." Sarcasm dripped in her voice, as her dark purple eyes narrowed.

"Special needs?" They both laughed, and as she did so, the white bed sheet slipped down, revealing her bare breast.

Kasey growled. "You should cover yourself better, or we'll be here all day."

"Mm-hm." Selena (1) didn't look like she believed him, but pulled the blanket up anyway. "I'm sure I'm not the only one. After all, with _'talent'_ like that, every girl must want a piece of you."

Kasey ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. "I can't help but be irresistible to women. ... And men."

Selena laughed. "I'm serious, though! How many of us have you banged so far?"

"Gee, it's only my second day here... give me a break!"

"No, really! Answer!"

He smiled at her from the corner of his eye. "Just you so far."

She gaped. "You're kidding, right?"

He shook his head. "Just you."

Selena hugged her knees closer to her body. "Man, does that make me feel like a slut..." she said with a soft chuckle.

"You're not a slut; you're special!" Kasey teased. "Why, am I not the only one?"

Selena pressed her index to her lips thoughtfully. "... No, you're the only one **currently**, but... I've been with Luke and Calvin before." She slid her gaze towards them. "Is that too much?"

"Hell, you could bang the whole island, and it wouldn't make a difference!" Kasey said. "Maybe you were born with the talent as well?"

Selena laughed. "... Come to think of it, I think I also did a girl, once, when I was really, _really_ drunk..."

Kasey nodded slowly. "Impressive..."

"Have you ever done a guy?"

"Mm, no... although I've done girls who looked like guys."

"Have you ever _been_ done by a guy?"

"Never."

Selena tsked. "Disappointing... I'm sure Chase would appreciate a dick up his ass. You could try him."

"Oh, so the pretty-boy _is_ gay?"

"Not officially, though I think so." She chuckled. "Pretty-boy... I'll have to remember that."

"Hm... maybe Maya's actually a dude (2)..."

"Yeah, maybe...! In fact, that would explain quite a bit."

"You don't like her?"

Selena gave him a look. "That girl is the reincarnation of a pig. No, better yet, she's a mix between a pig, a sloth, and a chipmunk. Add shit to that list."

"A chipmunk."

Selena changed her voice to a high falsetto. "'Oh, Chase, I love you~!'" She mimicked Maya's squeaky high pitched voice.

Kasey nodded. "Part chipmunk."

"She's really whiny too, and she still throws temper tantrums at this age!" Selena shook her head. "I just can't stand that girl..."

"How old is she?"

"19."

"... How old are you?"

Selena narrowed her eyes. "What do you think?"

"19?"

"20."

"Close enough.

Selena smiled. "Most people here are between 19 and 21. Luna's 17, though. Candace just turned 19. Calvin is about 23. Jin looks like an old fart, but I'm pretty sure he's our age too."

"How old's Kathy?"

"Kathy is 19, I think... turning 20 in Spring."

"Huh." Kasey nodded.

"Why? Is she your next project?"

Kasey shrugged. "Is she dating that Owen guy?"

"Hm..." Selena thought for a moment. "... I don't think so- not yet, at least. They probably like each other, though, so I wouldn't upset her too bad."

"Or I'd be history?"

"Exactly."

"Well, that's nice to know..." Kasey shivered dramatically, slipping out of the bed and reaching down to his pants. They'd been abandoned on the ground not too long ago. "Anyone else I should beware?"

"Don't let Renee catch you. She's a tattle-tale."

"So she's out of bounds?"

"No, she's probably still an option. Just don't let her catch you with anyone."

"Got it."

"Oh, and if you're going after Kathy next, beware of Haydn. He'll kill you."

Another dramatic shiver, as Kasey slid on his shirt. "Between the crazy almost-boyfriend and the crazier drunken dad, I think I'm going to give up on Kathy..."

"Phoebe should be easy." Selena continued, counting on her fingers. "She's a wannabe inventor. Get her talking about science, and she instantly goes horny."

Kasey raised a brow at her. "And you know that how...?"

"You can see her woman-boner from a mile away." Selena scoffed. "Trust me."

"What about Luna?"

"What _about _Luna?" Selena asked.

"You mentioned she was 17, right?" Kasey cocked his head. He was fully dressed now. "Is she worth going after?"

"Well..." Selena thought for a moment. "She's a bit of a brat. As you can see, she hasn't really grown much; she still looks like she's 12. You _could_ go after her, I guess, but you can't let her think you're stupid."

"What do you mean?"

Selena shrugged. "Rumor has it, she's got the hots for Gill- the mayor's son."

"The stuck-up blonde."

"Right. I have my own theory about it."

"Let's hear it."

"Personally, I think the reason she likes him is because he's a smart-ass; he's got an answer for everything. She's extremely arrogant, so if she insults you and you just gape at her, or something, you're immediately ruled out as stupid."

"I see..."

"It's up to you, really. You know, if you like a challenge, n' all..."

"I only have a week, though."

"So you'd better work fast."

Kasey nodded. "... Is anyone here married?"

"You mean, apart from the adults?"

"Yep."

"Anissa and Jin." She swatted the air. "Don't worry about her, though; they're both boring anyway. Like, super boring." She snickered. "Doctors, right?"

"Mm-hm." Kasey smiled. "I know what you mean." Well, actually, he didn't; he'd met plenty of boring people who weren't doctors, and plenty of doctors who weren't boring people. But there was no sense in purposefully angering her.

"So..." she smiled flirtatiously. "Are you mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because." She leaned down on the mattress, loose strands of red flowing down her bare back as she crossed her legs together. "I saw right through you. I knew you were just looking for a fuck from the beginning."

Kasey smirked. 'You're just as over-confident as Luna.' "Not necessarily mad... but it might be bothering me a little."

She seemed pleased with herself, lifting her chin arrogantly. "You be sure I stay the only person who knows, or they'll kill you."

"I'll invite you to my funeral."

She laughed, and blew him a kiss, not noticing the 500G stored in his back pocket.

* * *

"Why, hello, my dear friends~!"

Luna looked up and smirked. "Well, if it isn't farm boy. Have fun playing in the mud?"

Kasey winked at her. "I don't know about you, but I like getting down and dirty."

Luna's eyes widened, and her cheeks pinkened at the subtle innuendo.

"Well that's always great!" Shelly (3) smiled, and Luna turned to stare at her in disbelief. "I'm glad Molly has someone to help her out with the farm work. That girl works too much... she worries me."

Oh... so **that's** how Shelly had interpretated it. Or was that what Kasey had meant in the first place? But he'd winked...

"Well, I'm glad to see someone cares about my little sister this much." Kasey grinned. "It's nice to know she's alright."

See? He hadn't meant it that way... Luna just had a dirty mind, didn't she?

"Yes, yes, she is truly good, that sister of yours." Shelly praised. "So what brings you here? Are you buying her something for Christmas?"

"Oh, they don't do Christmas in the city, Grandma." Luna said smugly. "They're too absorbed in their own lives there to care about anyone else's."

"Actually", Kasey held up his index finger, "we _do_ celebrate Christmas. In fact, because we have so many stores back in the city, we give each other **more**!" He took a step towards her. "Besides... if I were too absorbed in my own life, then I wouldn't be here visiting my little sister, now, would I?"

Luna's lips tightened, and it was obvious she wanted to disagree, but she said nothing. In a way, she even seemed somewhat impressed with Kasey's nonchalant way of answering.

"As a matter of fact, along with visiting such wonderful ladies," he winked, "I _am_ here for my beautiful little sister~!"

"Do you even know what size she is?" Luna asked, her cobalt blue eyes narrowed.

He slipped his rucksack onto his arm, and pulled out a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, and a dress. "I have a reference." Or an excuse, rather.

"Not bad..." Luna nodded, impressed.

"Oh, how sweet of you!" Shelly exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Molly had never mentioned a brother, so I'd assumed you weren't very close. It's nice to see I was wrong after all!"

Kasey nodded. "Yes, Molly isn't one to talk much about personal problems, or family, or whatnot. She's never been one to gossip either, and if she can solve a problem herself, she'll try."

"Yes, yes, I can see that! Running a farm all on her own..." She shook her head with a smile. "She's such a strong young woman."

''She forced herself to grow up fast. We had to; there wasn't anyone else to take care of us other than ourselves."

Shy Candace, who hadn't said a word until then, suddenly looked up, an expression of pity on her face.

"I see... That must have been hard for you. Luna and Candace were the same way, in a sense. Their father-"

"Grandma!" Luna snapped. "He's... He's not here to chat. We have to... um... help him buy his gift." She turned her head away quickly, her face turning red in embarrassment. Even Candace seemed somewhat flustered, as she returned her attention to her sewing.

Kasey blinked. Bingo. He'd be able to use that later.

"Oh, yes, pardon me!" Shelly laughed. "I do tend to get carried away... What exactly are you looking for?"

Kasey shrugged. "Something cute, but that she'd be able to farm with. You know... cute without being annoying, or inconvenient."

"For Summer, or for Winter?" Luna asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"Summer, then." She glanced up at him. "Summer tends to be cuter."

Kasey's brows furrowed. "I'm not sure I get your logic, but... sure, let's go with summer."

Luna began rummaging through clothes, when she stopped. "Do you want to pick it out yourself, or should I...?"

"Go ahead." Kasey answered with a dismissive wave. "You'll probably do a better job than I could anyway."

"Oh... okay, then."

As Luna sorted through the racks of clothes, Kasey sat down in the chair beside Candace. "You seem to be working hard."

Candace looked up and blinked, as if only just now truly realizing his presence. "O-Oh..." She stuttered, a little embarrassed. "I-I'm just...", she lifted the khaki-colored jacket in her hands, "working... Nothing really... not really anything extraordinary..."

Kasey plucked the jacket from her, and held it up, examining it. "Not bad..." he praised, and Candace's face reddened.

"I-I'm only just... doing my job." she mumbled. "Luna designed it; she's the one who... who deserves the credit."

Luna looked up, and beamed. "I designed practically every outfit in this store!" she boasted proudly.

"Wow..." Kasey whistled. "You're quite the pair; Luna's the idea-thinker, and Candace is the miracle-worker."

Candace hid her face in embarrassment, but Luna pursed her lips in what Kasey suspected was annoyance. After all, a praise with the word 'miracle' in it _did_ sound better than being described as a _'thinker'_.

"...Hm." Luna said nothing, and returned to her search. Was she jealous of her sister? Really?

"I-I don't do much, really..." Candace squirmed. "You should see Luna's sketchpads..."

"Sketchpad?"

"Yeah, come on!" Luna cheered. "I'll show you!" Molly's 'Christmas present' was abandoned, as Luna dragged Kasey by the arm, into she and Candace's bedroom.

It was simple enough, with white walls, and two white framed beds, though one had pink sheets piled with plush toys, white the other was a simple, mellow blue. It didn't take a genius to guess whose bed was whose.

White shelves occupied the walls, along with a white dresser, a small table and chairs, and a white wooden chest. It would seem chests were all the rage in Castanet...

Luna pulled off a sketchbook from a shelf. There had to be at least 20 of them sitting there!

She flipped through one of them, and stopped at a certain page, turning it to show Kasey. "This is the jacket Candace is making."

On the paper was a few outlines of a woman's figure. The first one was a front-view, the second was a profile, and the third was from the back.

The woman wore a simple (green, according to the notes beside it) dress with a thin brown belt at the waist, and a collar that folded over itself, hanging down.

Over the dress was a khaki jacket- the one Candace had been working on. It had quite a few pockets, and long cuffed sleeves, with a zipper down its front.

A yellow necktie was tied around the model's thin neck, and she wore what looked like brown leather boots. (Or perhaps he cheated there; her additional notes clearly stated they were brown and made of leather.)

What amazed him was the amount of detail put into the drawing; there were realistic folds on the clothes, and he could even see small pockets on the dress's hips and every zipper on the jacket.

"... Wow." he said. "That... is really, _really_ good."

She grinned proudly. "I know."

Kasey smiled at her. 'I know'? Perhaps her ego _was _a little too big... although she'd surely object. "Where'd you learn to draw like this?"

"College." Luna answered, then noticed his look of disbelief. "It was a cheap college who accepted people even without high school diplomas, so I figured I'd be able to learn something." She lifted up her sketchpad. "And I did!"

"Cool. So... are you just here for Winter break, or...?"

"I dropped out to help Candace and Granny with the store." She shook her head, sighing. "I'm still trying to convince them to move to the city. Business would be so much better out there..."

"Do you think Shelly is fit enough for city life?"

Luna narrowed her eyes. "I'm not sure if you're really concerned, or if you're simply poking fun, but... Really, it'd be no different than working here. She doesn't leave here very much, so city life shouldn't be a problem for her."

"But she wouldn't know any of the people there."

Luna shrugged. "She'd get over it."

"Why do you want to leave so bad?"

Luna stared at him long and hard, as if trying to make sure he was sincere. "... Well, really... there's nothing left for me here." she finally answered. "I'm not married, I don't have a boyfriend, I don't have kids to worry about... the only thing that's really keeping me here is Grandma and Candace. So if I could bring them with me... it'd be a win-win."

"A win-win? Are you sure about that?"

Luna hesitated for a moment, but nodded slowly.

"Why don't you just go on your own?"

"..." Luna bit her lip. "I just... If I fail, I'd rather it be together. Being alone is scary, and if I fail alone... there wouldn't be anyone there to help me up again."

"I see..." Kasey murmured thoughtfully. He leaned forward slightly, and it was then that Luna realized how close their faces were. Her eyes widened in shock.

Her expression was quite comical, actually. She looked almost panicked, but didn't pull away. Instead, they just stared at each other.

"I-I-I..." Luna stuttered, then squeezed her eyes shut. "Please don't..." she said. "I just told you I had nothing to tie me here; please don't ruin that for me..."

"I'm from the city too, you know." Kasey pointed out.

For a moment, her face seemed to light up, but she shook her head. "The city's a big place. Don't try to trick me."

'I already have.' he thought to himself, and struggled to hide his smirk.

"You sure?" He asked again.

Luna stared at the wall, never turning to look at him. "Crystal."

Kasey hesitated. "... Alright, then." He rose from his seat. "Molly's Christmas present isn't going to choose itself."

Luna stared after him in surprise. Was that really it...? She'd hoped he'd be a little more... determined, maybe.

But he'd already achieved his goal. Without her noticing, he'd managed to sneak 347 G away from her; money well-deserved. She just didn't know.

He strode back into the store area. Candace looked up curiously, and he waved at her, though she didn't wave back. Instead, her gaze shot behind him, to her sister.

Luna looked almost slightly depressed. She seemed bothered, at the least. Candace's eyes flicked back to Kasey, and then back again to her younger sister's. She didn't know exactly what had happened, but she had a feeling Kasey was in the middle of it.

And that meant it probably wasn't good.

* * *

Kasey stopped in his tracks, and smiled. "Well, hello there."

Candace spun around, gasping. "Wh-What are you doing here?!"

He raised a brow. "Molly told me this spring was open to everyone. Is it not?"

Candace glanced around the Harvest Spring. It was in ruins, but that only added to its beauty. However, people rarely visited it, which made it the perfect place to think.

"U-Uh... Um, no, sh-she was right, but..." Candace's face began to flush, as she rose to her feet. "I-I'll just go, and-"

"No, no, don't bother." Kasey shook his head. "I don't mind company."

"But I-"

"Come on, sit!"

Candace nervously sat back down on the ground, beside the Harvest Goddess' tree. Kasey sat down beside her. "It's pretty here, don't you think?"

"U-Um, yes, of course..." Candace answered, glancing away.

Kasey smirked to himself. She was an innocent one; she'd be easy. "You're kind of cute, you know that?"

As expected, Candace turned beet red. "I-I don't...!" she shook her head. "Y-You don't mean it..."

Kasey blinked. "Hm?"

"M-Molly... Molly warned me." Candace admitted, lowering her head so her blue bangs covered her face. "Sh-She told me you liked to... 'play around'..."

Kasey grit his teeth. How many other people had Molly 'warned'? "I... used to." He quickly said, pretending to be ashamed. A girl like this would probably fall for 'honesty'. As if such a thing existed...

She looked up sharply though, like she'd been expecting denial. "What?"

"It got really lonely for me after our parents died..." Kasey said, looking off into space. As hoped, Candace's eyes softened into a look of pity. "Molly's always been much stronger than me with her emotions... But I had a big hole in my heart. And that's what I did to fill it. It made me feel loved..."

"O-Oh..."

"I've gotten over it now, though." he said, looking 'sad' and 'regretful'. "I know that they never really loved me... they only loved what I could do."

Candace grew pink again at the mention of Kasey's 'talents'. "H-How could you ever have thought that... something like that... would help you?" she asked.

Kasey looked away to hide the small smirk on his face. "Trust me... it paid."

"... How long are you staying again?" Candace asked.

"Three more days."

"That's not very long..."

"A week isn't very long." Kasey was pleased to see she looked somewhat sad at the thought of him leaving.

"Have you thought about coming back next year?"

"Why do you ask? Would you like to see me?"

"Well... sure, I suppose that'd be nice... I just figured that... maybe it'd be good for you. To help with your recovery."

"My... what?"

"I think it'd be good for you and your condition to visit Molly more often." Candace said with wide innocent eyes.

"My... condition...?!"

"Well... yes." Candace didn't seem to notice his tone. "You _are_ trying to get over it, after all, right? I just... thought that... maybe, that would help...?"

"Just what exactly do you think I have?!"

Candace jumped back at his sudden outburst. "Wh-Wh-What?"

"I'm not some kind of crazy person!" Kasey yelled out. "Geez! I don't need any god damn 'recovery'!"

Candace looked frightened. "I-I-I'm sorry!" she squeaked.

Kasey just shook his head in disbelief. "My god... this really _is _a stupid island."

She said nothing, bowing her head down sadly. She didn't find Castanet stupid...

"I-If... If you don't want to do it that way, you could also just... confess your sins to the Harvest Goddess. She'd forgive you, and help you move on..."

Kasey pushed himself up angrily, which made Candace flinch. "I haven't done any 'sin', and I don't believe in your 'Goddess' crap. I should never have even come here..."

Candace watched him storm off, then turned back to the fragile tree behind her. "May his sins be forgiven."

* * *

"Kasey... you awake?"

Kasey blinked his eyes open. Molly was peeking in at him from her bedroom doorway.

"Mm...?"

She wore a white bathrobe, with matching fluffy slippers. Luke peeked out over her shoulder with a goofy grin.

"What's up?" Kasey asked. "Normally, you'd be fucking away still at this time."

Luke laughed and Molly shot him a look. "Kasey... it's Christmas morning. Did you forget?"

Kasey rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Hm... Oh yeah. I forgot."

"How on earth do you forget about Christmas?!" Luke asked in disbelief.

"It's not like we really celebrate it here, Luke." Molly pointed out. "I mean... the only reason we're really celebrating it this year is because Kasey's here."

"Yeah, but... it's free presents day! How on earth does he forget something like that?!"

"Some people don't worship free things as much as you do, Luke."

He grinned. "Free stuff is good stuff!"

"Whatever." Molly rolled her eyes. "Just a second, Kasey. I'll be right back."

She went back into her room. Luke winked at him. "I'm a lucky man, aren't I?"

"One could argue..."

Molly came back, holding out an envelope. "Merry Christmas." she spoke softly.

Kasey stared into her chocolate brown eyes in surprise. "For... me?"

She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Slowly, he took the envelope in his hands and opened it. He snapped his head back up to look at her. "What...?"

"I figured that, despite what you might say, you'd probably need some money..." She said. "At first, I thought that was the main reason you came; to mooch some money. But you never asked me even once, so..." she smiled. "Merry Christmas, Kasey."

He stared at the check in his hands. 30,000 G... "A-Are you sure? I mean... this is a lot."

Molly just nodded, biting her lip. Luke smiled, wrapping his arm around Molly's waist. "She really is a great girl. You're lucky to have her as your sister."

Kasey stared at them both. This was enough to cover his rent for another 4 months or so... He really didn't deserve it. He felt guilty now of all the money he'd stolen; a good 4,876 G. He now had 34,876 G in total from other people.

He turned his gaze back to Luke's amber-colored orbs and said, "You're right; you really are a lucky man." Luke only nodded in respect and agreement.

Molly glanced between the two, confused. "Mm?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

Molly's eyes grew sad. "I know... It's been nice having you, though. Have you thought about coming back next year?"

Kasey shrugged. "Mm... I don't know. We'll play it by year, right?"

Molly nodded. "Sure... that sounds good."

Suddenly, Kasey remembered something. "Oh yeah, I have something for you too!"

He reached into the pillow-case of his make-shift bed, and pulled out a long green scarf. When he held it up, Molly saw a large work of dark blue stitching on one side, spelling three letters: **MOO**.

Molly laughed when she read the word, pulling away from Luke as she stepped closer. "Seriously? You... You actually bought something for me?"

Kasey shrugged. "It _was_ originally going to be something bigger, but... I'm cheap. And I really wanted to write 'moo' on something."

Molly laughed again, and Kasey was sure he even saw tears in her eyes. "... You like it, Moo-moo?" He asked, glancing away nervously. Why was she crying?

She hugged him around the neck and whispered to him. "You really have changed..."

Kasey felt his heart squeeze. His sister really _did_ mean a lot to him, despite the way he'd always treated her, and it was no secret to him that he'd missed her after she'd left. And yet...

He wrapped his arm around her torso. "No... not yet. But I will."

Molly squeezed him tighter, happy of his promise. She really hoped he meant it, and that he'd truly keep it.

"... Maybe."

* * *

"Well, well, well... Seems you've really straightened out after all."

On December 23rd, a year later, Molly was glancing around the lit-up club, impressed.

"Sweet!" Luke cried out, pumping his fist. "Dude, you gotta get us one of these in Castanet; This is freaking **awesome**!"

"So you like?" Kasey asked, grinning.

Molly smiled back. "I should have known you'd never settle in to normal office job." She glanced around again. "It's a good idea, though. You _were_ always complaining about the clubs around here back when I was still living with you."

"So I figured I'd make my own!" He pointed towards the glass door entrance. "Note the suggestions box."

Molly laughed. "That's great!" She went up beside him and hit the backside of his head. "Good for you!"

"I see you've rid your scarf of the spider webs it developed over the year it spent in one of your weird trunk things. Hm?" Kasey lifted a brow, fingering the green knit 'moo' scarf.

"No, actually." she protested. "I've been wearing it since Fall."

Luke began a coughing fit. "She means her cow- ahe ahe!" He said between coughs.

Molly glared at him. "Shut up! That was only when Milker got sick..."

"Really? Milker must get sick a lot..."

Molly turned back towards her older brother. "He's lying."

"I dunno~..." Kasey tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Luke would never lie to me about something so serious...!"

"No, man, I probably would." Luke said bluntly, shrugging. "Sorry."

"Dude!" Kasey laughed. "Way to ruin it!"

"So how's it doing?" Molly asked, then added, "the club, I mean."

"Pretty good, actually. It started off rough, but... Selena managed to make some friends." He glanced away. "... Mostly sluts and whores, but..." He shrugged. "It pays."

Molly laughed. "So how's that working out?"

"Pretty good, actually. Plus, I've got myself some security dudes now." He grinned. "They're fucking awesome!"

"Hell yeah, you're not joking?" Luke's eyes widened ecstatically. "Molls, seriously, we've gotta come here one night! Please...?"

"Ha! You go ahead! Last thing I need is to drag both of you back home!"

"Oh, I don't drink at work." Kasey raised his hands up defensively.

"I didn't mean you..." she smiled, and raised her hand up to her abdomen.

Kasey's eyes widened. "No shit... I'm gonna be a fucking uncle?!" His gaze shot to Luke. "... I'm gonna have to murder you before you leave. Nobody gets my sister pregnant."

"Oh, shut up..." Molly laughed.

Luke simply shrugged. "No biggie; it's practically law when a dude's sister gets prego; it's your job to murder me, Kasey."

"You two are weird..."

"But you freaking love us." Kasey held his hand up to her stomach. "Damn... you two work fast. You just got married in, like, Summer, or something! Couldn't you wait a year?" Then he shook his head. "On second thought, you've been humping each other long before the wedding, so I should probably be happy you only got pregnant now."

Molly pushed him teasingly. "Better not get the pregnant lady angry, Kasey... cause I'm a hell of a lot worse than I was before!"

Kasey shivered. "And you never _were_ a very nice girl..."

They laughed.

"What about you, Kasey?" Molly asked. "Have you got a box in your pocket?"

"No, Molly, I am not pregnant."

"Wrong expression, dumbass." Molly rolled her eyes. "I mean for Selena."

"Well, unlike you two, we don't mind waiting." Kasey said.

Luke spoke up. "We dated for about a year and a half before you got here. So about two years before we got married."

"... Fuck you."

"You _do_ have a ring, don't you?" Molly gasped.

"No... not yet." Kasey scratched his head. "I mean... Sure, I'm _thinking_ about it, but... No, not yet."

Molly hugged him. "You're in love, you're in love~!" she chanted.

"Shut up..."

She glanced up at him, and her eyes softened. "Well... I'm glad you've straightened out your life, Kasey."

He smiled down at her. "Whatever you say, Moo-moo."

* * *

_... What happened?! Way weird..._

_This was originally going to be a Kasey x Candace lemon... and it was going to be a sad ending. ... How the hell did it turn into Kasey x Selena?! And... it's a happy ending. WTF?!_

_Oh... and, uh... Happy late New Year? *shot* I fail at finishing oneshots... XD Maybe I should make that a New Year's resolution; Finish your oneshots. Although I've never made a New Year's resolution before. And it's highly doubtful I'll follow any I _do _make. Which is why I won't make one. ^.^_

_So... I wonder if anyone will still recognize my name in this fandom. Highly doubtful, but... I still hope someone will. After all, I _did _only write for this fandom for a year or so, and I have my fair share of followers..._

_And I always have Faye~! Right, wifey? XD_

_Anyway, anyone who _**does**_ recognize I, Naty17, author of the (actually very terrible) _'Cry me a River'_, I wonder if you're surprised by how much I've changed. Or perhaps you see no change in me at all... Perhaps I've simply created myself an illusion of change, while I really am still a naive little teenage girl. ... But what does it matter? XD_

_Anyway, I'm still considering the idea of a new Harvest Moon story, and maybe if I get bugged enough, I'll actually be bothered to finish it. In fact, I'll go work on it now! The first chapter's almost finished, anyway._

_So, without further ado, I beg you to review. I sound like Doctor Seuss, as I rhyme like Mother Goose. XD_

_But first... read my mini-notes. Because they are there._

_Love,_

_Naty17_

* * *

(1) Why always Selena...? Well... Selena is the only one who's... exotic-looking, and combine that with her sometimes-bitchy attitude, she makes the best AP slut. I'm sorry, Selena... but compared to Anissa, Renee, Kathy, Luna, Phoebe, etc, you seem like an absolute whore... I mean, come on. Compared to a normal teenage girl, Selena would be average. Compare her to someone like Renee, and she seems like a demon. ^-^"

(2) Maya's one of my favorites, actually, so... it kinda hurts to make fun of her like this. My favorite is Candace, but my second favorite would have to be Maya. Maya just seems like someone Selena would feel disgusted by, so... And I called her chubby, too! OTL I'm so sorry, Maya...!

(3) I'm pretty sure that's her name... it's been too long since I've last played HM; Animal Parade. I remember Colleen, Yolanda, Eileen, Hannah, Ruth, and Mirna (or whatever the jewel lady is named), but I can't be sure about Luna/Candace's grandmother. So if it's not Shelly, then... bear with me.

* * *

**REVIEW... OR YOU WILL GET STOMPED ON BY A COW WEARING A 'MOO' SCARF, WHO RESPONDS TO THE NAME OF... 'Milker'. DUH DUH DUUUUUUUH!**


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